Honoring his Italian-American heritage, Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Schenectady) announced that he has joined the New York Conference of Italian-American State Legislators. The conference, which has been in existence for over 30 years, is a bipartisan organization of Italian-American Assembly and Senate members.

“My parents came to this country from Italy to provide my brother and me with a better quality of life, and every day I’m thankful for the sacrifice they made,” Assemblyman Santabarbara said. “As a first generation Italian-American, I’m proud to have this opportunity to work with other Italian-American legislators to highlight the many contributions Italian-Americans like my parents have made to our community.”

According to Assemblyman Santabarbara, Italian-Americans make up one of the largest ethnic group in the cities of Schenectady and Amsterdam. With his new role in the conference, the Assemblyman will work to fight against media bias and stereotypes, while celebrating the community’s rich Italian-American heritage.

Assemblyman Santabarbara also added that he will be working on important causes already championed by the conference, including a college scholarship program. Traditionally, these scholarships are offered to students who possess high grade point averages, show a strong interest in attending college, are active in their local communities and need financial assistance.